My Ántonia Youth Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Nevertheless, after I went to bed, this idea of punishment and Purgatory came back on me crushingly. I remembered the account of Dives in torment, and shuddered. But Mr. Shimerda had not been rich and selfish: he had only been so unhappy that he could not live any longer. (1.14.13)

Jim is mature for his age. He has an emotional sensitivity beyond his years when it comes to understanding Mr. Shimerda and his suicide.

Quote #5

That snake hung on our corral fence for several days; some of the neighbours came to see it and agreed that it was the biggest rattler ever killed in those parts. This was enough for Ántonia. She liked me better from that time on, and she never took a supercilious air with me again. I had killed a big snake--I was now a big fellow. (1.7.last paragraph)

It's interesting that Jim, who is generally not a typically masculine character, adopts such a stereotypical view about becoming a man. We can see the influence of guys like Otto on his perspective here.